


Hope Moon

by Merlin_Wolfgang_Trades_Hale



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Hunters & Hunting, Inspired by Teen Wolf (TV), Inspired by the Hale Fire from Teen Wolf, M/M, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Please read notes, Sequel, Werewolf Danny "Danno" Williams, Werewolf Grace Williams, Werewolf Hunters, Werewolf Williams Pack, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:02:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21962539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merlin_Wolfgang_Trades_Hale/pseuds/Merlin_Wolfgang_Trades_Hale
Summary: Sequel to Charlie D. McGarrettIt's been a year since the Williams pack was attacked and the hurt is still strong. Five-Oh is still healing, especially Steve and Eric. Both of them doing their best to try and move on, as hard as it is.There are a lot of unanswered questions that Steve is trying to find reliable answers to, especially regarding hunters. But being human, he's hit plenty of roadblocks.Eric meanwhile, by accident, finds a new hope. But dare he believe in it? Are his cousin and uncle really alive? Or is it just an elaborate hunter trap to tie up loose ends?
Relationships: Eric "E-Train" Russo & Junior Reigns, Mary Ann McGarrett & Steve McGarrett, Steve McGarrett & Charles "Charlie" Williams Edwards, Steve McGarrett & Danny "Danno" Williams, Steve McGarrett & Eric "E-Train" Russo, Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams
Comments: 30
Kudos: 73





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Hunted(Part One)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20215315) by [JackalPinesOfHouseEvergreen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JackalPinesOfHouseEvergreen/pseuds/JackalPinesOfHouseEvergreen). 



_My dearest darling,_

_If you’re reading this then...then I am no longer with you. God, that sounds like such a horrible cliche but sadly, that’s what it is. You’ve known now, for a while what your father and I are. And though I’d hate to scare you, knowing will help you stay safe. And I hope you are safe my darling. No matter what the past held, please know that I love you with all my heart and soul. This letter is merely a precaution of course but one can never be too careful...and should the worse happen, I’m sure you’d like some answers. Daniel will have them and if you ever doubt anything you hear, trust your father. He will do everything to keep you safe._

_Things are stirring...I’ve heard whispers. I know your father’s concerned as well. If you find this...and neither your father and I are here to help you, go to McGarrett. Tell him all you know, darling. He, you can trust. He will keep you safe-_

Steve stops reading. He shoved the letter aside and bolts out of his chair. He paces the kitchen a few times as he tries to calm himself. Rachel’s words were meant to be motivating and encouraging...they would have been if he’d been able to meet her expectations. Despite her opinion on him, whatever it may have been, she knew and trusted that he would love and keep Danny’s kids safe. And he should have. 

Nearly a year later and their deaths were still too much to handle. 

“Steve? You okay big bro?” 

Steve turned to Mary and tried not to look so tense. With the look of concern that increased, he guessed it didn’t work too well. With a sigh, he grabbed the letter and showed it to Mary. 

“It’s a letter from Rachel to Grace. Stan’s lawyers are still settling some of the stuff in his place. After Rachel, he’s got family who his things would go to. But you know how slow the law can be. This just got lost in the midst of everything.” Steve explained. He watched as Mary read through it. Awkwardly, he cleared his throat. “I’ve tried reading it...about four or five times but...I get to the part where she tells Grace to come to me. To come to me and tell me everything. That I…” He paused as he swallows the thick emotion in his throat. “That’d I’d keep her safe…”

“Oh, Steve…” Mary places the letter down on the table and pulls Steve in for a hug. It takes him a moment but he hugs her back tightly. When they pull apart, she pats his chest before leaning her forehead against his, in their way to show comfort. “This is a hard time. It’s almost the anniversary. The emotions are bound to bubble back to the surface. Rachel knew you’d do everything to keep those you love safe. Everyone who knows you knows that. You haven’t failed anyone…” She hugged him again. “Tragedy struck. And it hurts. But it’s not your fault.” 

“I know…” He said as he let go of her. “It’s hard to accept. But I’ve worked on it. I just...I wished things would have turned out different.” 

“We all do,” Mary said. 

“Did you read all of it?” Steve asked, gesturing to the letter. 

“Yeah.” Mary nodded, picking it up and looking at it with a sad expression. She thinks about her own life and what she knew about her parents. She wonders if they ever thought about leaving letters or messages like this for herself and Steve. She looks towards the living room where Joan was coloring and baby Charlie was sleeping, and wonders if she should ever make one for them. God, she hoped not. 

“Does it have anything uh...useful for Charlie?” Steve asked. He wasn’t sure he could ever get past the whole thing knowing that Grace was meant to be here, safe with him, should anything happen to her parents. 

“Not really. It’s mostly to give hope and encouragement. Grace was like Danny. All of Rachel’s fears and concerns seemed to be on Grace keeping herself safe from evil humans who wouldn’t understand how kind and good she was.” Mary said as she reread the letter. Then she made a face as she got to the bottom. “Oh.”

“Oh?” Steve echoed. 

“Here near the end, she says if she ever wants to understand some things Danny’s said about her, she’ll find more detailed answers in a memory box.” Mary looked up from the letter to ask Steve. “Did Rachel leave behind a memory box?” 

“I…I don’t know. What sort of things would Danny need to tell Grace about Rachel?” Steve asked. 

“You think she wasn’t human either?” Mary asked, jumping to that conclusion. 

Steve would have scoffed at that a year ago, but things have changed since then. He wasn’t sure what was what anymore. “We don’t know how Rachel learned about Danny. If it was before they got married or not. And who knows. I’ll reach out to Stan’s lawyers and ask about Rachel’s stuff.” 

“Do you think Eric might know?” Mary asked. 

“He might,” Steve answered hesitantly. 

Which made Mary raise an eyebrow, “What? Is something the matter with Eric?” 

“No. Not in a big way. But the anniversary’s coming up. He’s been very...absentminded. He seems okay but I still worry about him. Charlie hasn’t shown too many signs of being a wolf other than Kawika confirming it with some test he did, which we never saw. And if I’m reliving every last moment I had with Danny, I can only imagine he’s doing the same, ya know?” Steve replied with a small shrug. Talking about Danny, even to Mary, was still something that was hard to do. He usually had his arms crossed and stood in a strong, military-like stance. Reverting to ways that’ll make him feel stronger than he was at that moment. 

“Is he still having doubts about not accepting the bite and taking Charlie?” Mary asked. 

That had been one of the worst days. Finding the note after realizing Charlie was gone and who took him. They didn’t fully understand why Eric took him. She’d been mad at him even if deep down she knew Eric had certain rights that went above them. She still hated to think of the baby in harm’s way. Eric was an amazing guy but she saw him as much of a mess as Steve was. They didn’t find a way to tell her and Junior about werewolves right away either, so for a while, she was very vigilant about Eric being around Charlie. 

Steve shook his head. “No. Not in that way. Eric made peace with not being a werewolf long before he came to Hawaii. And he knew Danny damn well. He knew that if anything happened to Danny, that Danny would trust us...trust _me_ , to take care of his kids. But it’s still hard not to think about what could have happened if... _different_ decisions were made.” 

“Like Eric having had the time to go and also be in Jersey when all of this happened?” Mary asked. 

“That’s one thing, yeah.” Steve nodded. 

“Well...it’ll almost be a year. It’s been well over half a year since the last attempt on Charlie’s life was made. Things have been...quiet. Any news on that weird front?” Mary still had days when she couldn’t really believe what she learned. If it wasn’t for an unofficial case where she went along with Steve and came face to face with a real full-fledged werewolf after transforming under the light of the full moon, she would still have doubts. 

“Nothing new. Kawika says that the threats have been taken care of. Hunters here in Hawaii were never really well accepted.” Steve answered. 

“Hmm.” Mary hummed pensively. 

“What?” Steve knew the look. She might not have pursued a career in law enforcement but she grew up with their father just as he did, and picked up how to think like a world-class detective. 

“I just...okay, look. Rachel told you that Charlie was Danny’s on her deathbed, right?” When Steve nodded, she went on. “Keeping Charlie’s true parentage a secret for whatever reason would have been a priority even without the supernatural threat. But the added pressure of knowing hunters were a thing and she was carrying another possible werewolf meant that she would have been super secretive about it, right?” 

“Yeah…” 

“So I get hunters train of thought as a human being myself. And all the movies I’ve seen on TV and whatever. The attack on the Williams, if as many wolves were in one place at one time then sure...thinking about it as a hit, it makes sense. What doesn’t is...why Charlie and not Eric?”

“Eric was human. They could have learned that.” Steve’s had conversations like this before with Eric. Hunters were something he’s dealt with a bit back in Jersey with his pack a few times. 

“Right. Because Eric isn’t a kid. He’s lived over two decades and if he was being watched, it would eventually be clear he wasn’t a werewolf.” Mary began. 

Steve completed her thought and said, “But how would the hunters know that Charlie was a wolf?”

“I mean unless Stan was also a werewolf and in that case, Rachel had a type- and oh my God, _was_ Stan a werewolf?” Mary demanded as she saw the look in Steve’s face. 

He honestly hadn’t thought about it. The past year has been dealing with his grief of losing Danny and Grace while also learning to become a new dad for Charlie. Not to mention take care of Eric in a weird position that wasn’t exactly a father or a brother. Much more like trying to be an uncle for him too without trying to replace Danny. Eric’s limited knowledge about the supernatural life in Hawaii kept that part of the investigation short. After refusing the bite, the pack hasn’t made contact with Eric, not even through Kawika. 

Kawika himself was always standoffish when Steve tried to get information out of him. In many ways, Kawika was glad that Steve was aware. It would make a few things the Kapu did or were involved in easier to explain. But there were still ways things were done. Steve, and even Eric, being human meant there was just a limit to things Kawika could tell them. Even if he wanted to. 

“I don’t know. But you have a very good point. Somehow the guys who took out Danny’s family knew about Charlie. I’m not convinced that Stan was a werewolf too but I’ll ask Kawika and see what he thinks.” Steve said. 

“Alright. Well, keep me posted.” Mary paused for a moment before she asked him. “How are you?”

He gave her a weird look. “We live here together, Mar.” 

She rolled her eyes, “And even though I can sometimes read between the lines better than most as your sister, you’re still hard to read.” Steve scoffed dismissively but Mary wasn’t going to let him get away with it. “The anniversary is coming up. Like you said, you’re thinking about it...I know this isn’t easy for you. If you need time alone, I get it. But I’m not going to let you drown in misery.” 

He was ready to deny it but she glared at him. She knew him too well, so Steve sighed and shrugged. “It’s hard to believe its been a year. There are still times when I wake up in the middle of the night to feed Charlie when for just a moment, I forget. Or Charlie does something very cute or amazing and god every day he gets a bit bigger he looks so much like Danny and I just want to call out to him to come and see. And that feeling of euphoria becomes _anguish_ as it crashes down on me again that...Danny’s missing this. I get the feeling that I can’t do this...but then I look at Charlie and...I pull myself together.” 

Mary hugs his arm and presses a kiss to his shoulder. “It’s okay to feel these things. I know you’re probably getting a lot of this right now. But it’s from people who love and care about you. Who also know that feelings aren’t your strongest suit and just want to help you navigate through them so you don’t fall down too deep in that rabbit hole.”

“I know. And I appreciate it, I do.” 

* * *

“Any plans this weekend?” Jerry asked. 

Eric shrugged, “Mope around, stare at the ceiling as I lay on my bed or couch, cry every other hour, have at least one but maybe two existential crises, overeat and maybe totally get drunk?”

“I don’t know if I should find that healthy or worrisome,” Jerry told him. 

Eric sighed through his nose and closed his eyes before counting to five. He hated causing his friends to worry. After a month or so it seemed like he had a handle on life again and they weren’t checking in with him every ten minutes, but with the anniversary around the corner, everyone was suddenly worried about him again. He didn’t think he handled his emotions that badly but maybe he was a bit biased. 

“I’m a Williams Jerry, we handle stress with sarcasm and snark.” 

“But with honesty,” Jerry added. 

“But with brutal honesty.” Eric agreed. 

“You want some company?” Jerry asked. 

“Nah. Thanks for the offer, Jer. Really. You’re a great friend and we can hang out after. But those days...I just wanna be on my own. Or I’ll ask McGarrett if I can babysit Charlie.” 

“If you change your mind, just call me. Or Noelani. Or Pua. Anyone really.” 

“I know, Jer. I know.” 

* * *

“There isn’t much I can tell you, Steve, I’m sorry,” Kawika told him. 

Steve waited for a moment to reply since the waitress came to fill up their coffee cups and take their orders. When she was out of earshot he asked, “Because you have nothing to report or because of that secrecy thing?” 

“Because it’s been quiet. If you were asking about the pack or other supernatural things, I wouldn’t be at liberty to share with you. But you’re asking about hunters. We don’t get many of those in Hawaii.” 

“Not many means there are still some. Like the ones who tried to kill Charlie.” 

Kawika adjusted his coffee too his liking and stirred as he replied to Steve. “Hawaii is a very spiritual island. The children of nature, in whatever form they are born, have a home here. There are laws in place, traditions that are followed, that have kept this place from becoming a hell hole. Are there those who cause trouble? Sure. In the same way not all humans are murderers. The islands respect that wild, nature fueled, supernatural side. In the same way we protect our own, it extends in that way to the supernatural beings. Hunters aren’t very welcomed.”

“I’ve tried looking into the tattoos and makings of the one hunter who broke into my house. But all the leads have dried up. I can’t leave the island. I can’t get too close to looking into it on the mainland either. Eric said it would put Charlie too much at risk.”

“He has a point. Detective Williams might have been able to hide it from others, but hunters have always infiltrated law enforcement. Hell, it’s through law enforcement jobs that some hunters ever experience their first real taste of what’s out there Steve. They see a monster with fangs and claws and they learn it wasn’t a trick of the light and they get scared. They join others who promise answers and ways of helping them become heroes…” He paused when the waitress came back with their orders. 

Once she was gone, he continued. “If you went looking for answers about hunters, they’d look into you. They’d find out about Charlie. And you have power and resources unlike some children of nature, but it could just get messy. I’ve heard horror stories of what hunters are willing to do. I appreciate your service Steve, and what you and Five-Oh do...but when the government gets involved with the supernatural...well, you’ve seen the movies.” 

“I still want answers. It all just feels unfinished to me. With how efficiently they took out Danny’s family, and with how you’re describing them, I find it hard to believe that they’ve truly given up.” Steve admitted with concern in his eyes. 

“I understand. The best advice I can offer is to remain vigilant and be prepared. As a soldier and a cop, I can understand why unfinished business can bother you, Steve. But a lot of the time in the supernatural world, you have to accept things and move on. Being fixated on something leads to obsession and that usually only leads to trouble. Things are quiet. The island is secure. Charlie is safe with you. It’s only been a year so I can imagine the hurt is still fresh and you might be reluctant to, but you must learn to live again. Not just survive.” 

“I...I’m not...I’m not ready to live without Danny yet.” 

* * *

Eric collapsed on the bed, exhausted. 

One year to the day of the fire and he was emotionally drained. They had a small ‘remembrance’ thing for his uncle at the palace. It was nice, but it brought up a lot of the emotions of when it first happened. Steve let him duck out of there early and he was thankful for it. 

He stared at the ceiling for a long while before he sat up and pulled out his phone. It was something he fell into the habit of doing awhile after he first lost his family. He’d call their old phones just to hear their voices on their voicemails. 

Some of their phones were already disconnected so that was disheartening. He saved the messages on a recording app of the others. But he still likes to call the ones he can. It makes him feel as if...as if they might answer. Or that if they don’t, it’s not because they’re dead but because...they’re busy. 

He knows it’s not healthy and Steve’s suggested a therapist he could go to. He thinks he might, just not yet. 

He clicks on the name of his uncle’s number without really paying attention to what contact he clicked. It rang and he waited for it to go to voice mail….except it didn’t. 

“...”

“H-hello?” Had his uncle’s number been reassigned? Probably right? “Sorry I was just callin-”

“ _Eric_?” 

No.

No way. 

It’s impossible!

Right? 

“Grace?!” He bolted out of bed and began to pace around. There was no answer on the other side for a moment so he thought he was going crazy. “Grace? Please if this is you, please answer me!” 

_“Y-you’re alive?”_ Her voice was small but he heard it. 

“Yeah! Yeah, I am. H-how are you alive though? I thought you were dead!” He exclaimed.

_“I...we got saved. Emissary.”_

“W-we?” He had to sit back down. His vision blurred as tears swelled in his eyes. “W-who else? Did...is...did my mom…?” He was choking up with emotion that was overwhelming him 

_“‘m sorry Eric...no. Jus’...jus’ me and Danno.”_

The tears fell as he closed his eyes and covered his mouth with his hand. His heartbreaking all over again after having a moment of hope. But not all was lost. “Uncle D’s alive? W-why hasn’t he...why haven’t you guys come home?” 

_“We can’t. Danno’s hurt. Real bad. He’s still not healed…”_

“What? Okay, okay. Where are you? I’ll come to you.” He got up again and went to fumble for a pen and piece of paper. Grace was quiet and stuttered here and there so Eric had to repeat questions and information back to her for her to confirm. Once he had it, he swallowed back the emotion in his throat as he promised, “I’m gonna come and get you...we’ll figure this all out.” 

He hated hanging up but he did. Sitting on the bed for a moment to gather his thoughts he felt surreal. For a moment he’d let himself believe that his mother was alive and that he’d see her again. It was very crushing to have that sort of hope and then for it to be destroyed. 

But Grace and his uncle were alive! They were alive and needed pack! They needed their Ohana!

“Oh god, I gotta tell Steve!” He fumbled with his phone and looked for Stee’s number. He was about to press ‘call’ but stopped himself. He gripped his phone tightly as his grandfather’s voice echoed in the back of his mind. 

_“Hunters are manipulative and cunning. They will do whatever they can to fool you. To make you think they’re on your side. Anything to get any bit of information out of you…”_

He remembered stories he used to hear of some of his grandfather’s close encounters with hunters when he was younger. How the hunters would have recorded howlings of wolves that they would play to encouraged strayed and lone wolves out of hiding. Make them think there were more allies nearby, only to have them be ambushed by hunters. 

“This could be a trap.” He said aloud to himself. 

What if it was just another attempt at getting to Charlie? Eric wasn’t much of a threat, but Steve was. If Eric told Steve about his cousin and uncle maybe being alive, he’d do whatever it took to go and get them. Even walk into enemy territory without a second thought...and he’d leave Charlie with who? His sister? Sure she was great and a McGarrett, but against hunters? 

Was that too complicated of a plot? Maybe. But he couldn’t underestimate hunters. 

He also couldn’t underestimate his uncle. He would have done whatever he could to have saved Grace. 

“Ugh.” He groaned as he rubbed his temple. This was turning into a huge headache, but his path was clear. He had to figure out if this was really his family or not. He began to pack a bag with some of his Jersey winter clothes and searched for his passport. Answers were out there and he was going to get them. “Canada, here I come.” 

* * *

He couldn’t leave without saying goodbye to Charlie. It was either a rescue mission of sort or it was a trap. Eric needed to see Charlie one last time just in case things went sideways and he was killed. 

When he arrived at the McGarrett home he found Charlie being read to by Mary with Joan at her side listening. Junior was in the kitchen preparing lunch. He was welcomed warmly and allowed to hold and play with Charlie for a bit. Joan played around them, handing Eric toys she thought Charlie wanted. She herself had one of those Polaroid cameras and snapped a picture of Eric holding Charlie. She seemed to be going through a shutterbug phase. There were small pictures everywhere. He pocketed that picture of him and Charlie. He didn’t want to have any on his phone in case it was a trap, but he wanted one just in case it wasn’t. He’d hide it well on his body just in case. 

He spends a good while with them before he makes an excuse and leaves. His bag’s already packed in his car and he booked his airplane ticket, so he heads to the airport. 

The whole drive he’s not really thinking. There’s so much he knows he should think about, but it’s too much that there’s this weird numb void. He knows he should think about what this means, he should think about how he’s going to help his uncle and cousin if it is them, he should think about what to do if it’s not and it’s some sort of trap. He should think of what to tell Steve if it is them or what sort of apology to make to him if it’s not and he has to come and save him. He also thinks he should leave some sort of apology in case it is a trap but Steve can’t save him. 

He’ll have to leave a note in his car. 

Eric parks in the parking lot for long time stays and looks for a pen and some paper. If he’s not back, his car will be found, HPD will know it’s his, Five-Oh will be given the note and they’d go from there if this is a trap 

“ _Jesus_!” He exclaims in a start when there’s a knock on his window. “Junior? What the hell are you doing here?” 

“I can ask you the same.” 

“Yeah well...I asked first.” He said lamely. 

Junior walked around the hood of the car and got into the passenger’s side. “You were acting weird. Not very obviously but still weird. With the anniversary coming up we got worried. I told Mary I’d make sure you were okay. But you didn’t head home or to work. You’re at an airport. So...spill.” 

Eric looked at Junior as he decided if he should come clean or not but in the end, he knew that if he didn’t he’d get dragged away. “As a way to cope I...I would call my family’s phones. Listen to their voices on their voicemails.” 

Junior nodded in understanding before giving him another nod that said ‘go on’. 

“It’s been a while since I’ve last done it. So with the anniversary coming up, I did. I was going to call Uncle D’s old number. But I had two. One you guys had...but also another one he had. A burner used for werewolf emergencies.”

Again Junior nodded, showing that he was following along. Which he was but he was also curious as to how that led Eric being here. 

“So I had them next to each other because they started the same on my contact list. I called the burner phone. I didn’t think anyone would answer. No one’s been answering me unless the number got reassigned. Except...someone answered me, Junior.” 

Junior’s eyes widened at the implication. “Eric…”

“It was Grace. She told me she’s alive. And so is uncle D! They’re alive. He’s still hurt...so I have to check!” He said imploringly. 

“I...wow, I can’t believe this. But...you haven’t told Steve. Why not?” Junior asked cautiously. 

Eric let out a deep sigh. “It could be a trap. It could be a very elaborate trap to get Steve away from Charlie and leave him vulnerable. Steve’s powerful in influence he has on the island as well as being one badass Navy SEAL. His Achilles Heel is always his Ohana. Especially Uncle D and Gracie. I have to make sure it’s really them before I give him this sort of false hope. Charlie’s safety aside, I can’t make him believe there’s hope after how hard he’s worked through his grief.”

Junior nodded in understanding. “Okay. Then we go and we find out if it’s really them.” 

“What?” 

“I’m going with you. I got a go-bag in the car.” Junior said as he got out of Eric’s car and went to his own. 

Eric got out of his car and followed, “Whoa, wait a minute…”

“You said so yourself, Eric. It could be a trap. And you’re no SEAL. _I_ am.”

“You don’t have to do this…” 

“Yes, I do. I’m either going to keep you safe and bring you home alive...or I’m going to help you bring part of our Ohana back. Either way... you’re not going alone.” 

“Okay.” Eric accepted Junior’s help. Ever since his uncle died, Junior’s come out of his shell a lot more to be the support that Steve needed. That’s coming out very clearly right now. Eric needed someone to watch his back on this possible very dangerous mission and they couldn’t bring Steve in without knowing for sure if it was really them. Eric was right in that they couldn’t trip Steve up with false hope. Steve still had a lot of healing to do, and this would ruin all the hard work he’s put into his healing if it turned out to be not true. 

“Okay. I’ll go and get my ticket and then I’ll call Mary and tell her that we’re going to go on a fishing trip or something. You needed some time away from work because….uh….” 

“I hate having to deal with people’s condolences. Some people are really sweet but other people say shit that can be really freaking insensitive. And yeah, I’d rather not be around people during this time. You, me, some nature...that’s good.”

“Good. I’ll go with that. Come on.” 

They grabbed their bags and locked up their cars before heading inside. Eric waited for Junior to get a ticket on the same flight as him. They wouldn’t be sitting next to each other but not that far apart, only about three rows of distance. Junior made the call to Mary and told her they were going fishing. Which might also explain why they may not answer their phones. 

“You said this could be a trap...how do you know if it’s really Grace or not?” Junior asked while they waited at their gate. 

“It sounds like her. And she knew facts about the fire. But it only proves it is her or it’s someone who helped start the fire…” Eric answered. “Hunters are crafty. Anything they can do they will do.”

“Look, man. I...I want to pray to God that this is them. That it’s really them but it’s been a whole damn year of nothing. I don’t want you to not have hope. But I don’t want you getting your hopes up.” Junior told him as gently as possible. 

Eric nodded. “I...I get that.” He paused before he added. “Is it weird I probably would handle it better if it’s not them and just a trap? Because then, hey! It was just evil hunters who killed my family and were trying to trick me into death as well and if I fight back I don’t have to feel as guilty!” He let out a laugh that then became strained and began to turn into a cry. 

Junior pulled him in an embrace, which Eric needed. 

“Thanks. I...if they are alive...and they haven’t contacted us, or even _me_ , then...then it’s bad. And I...I don’t know if I can handle _that_.” 

“Hey. Whatever happens, and I mean _whatever_...we’ll deal with it.” 

_“Now boarding flight A043 to Ottawa.”_

“That’s us. Come on.” Junior said. 

Eric nodded. Whatever they met when they landed...they’d deal with it. Because that’s what Five-Oh does.


	2. Chapter 2

“Was that Harry Langford you were on the phone with?” Lou asked as he came into Steve’s office. 

Steve looked a bit sheepish but nodded. “Uh...yeah.” 

“He okay? Is he on the island on request of her majesty?” Lou asked in teasing, but seeing as Steve wasn’t rising to joke with him, he frowned. “Steve?”

“It’s...I asked Harry to look into the tattoo of the guy who broke into my house last year.” Steve answered. 

“The guy who tried to kill a _baby_? _That_ guy?” Lou asked. When Steve nodded, Lou sat down and nodded to Steve to go on. “And?” 

“He thinks he may have found a lead. Maybe. He stresses on the maybe.” 

Lou’s quiet for a moment and it’s clear he’s trying to phrase whatever he wants to say carefully. “It’s been a year.” 

Steve has to look away. Even with the team, those who have lost as much as he has, he still has a hard time processing his emotions in front of others. Danny and Grace’s deaths were so damn hard that he still can’t fake not being affected. “It has.” 

“I know it hurts me and mine every day to think of them gone. Grace had been a very special part of Will’s life and she’d become part of ours. And Danny...well, he was like a brother. I can only imagine what this time of the year is doing to you.” 

“It hasn’t been easy. But you guys, Eric, Charlie...you’ve all helped me keep my head above water. But I think we’re getting distracted.” Steve states.

“Right. Is there something you’re not telling us?”

Steve sat up straighter in his chair and narrowed his eyes, “What do you mean?”

“I mean I know you. I’ve gotten to know Steven McGarrett’s playbook pretty well. And you not going after the people who did this...it’s odd, man.” Lou tells him. Steve looked away again and Lou’s not sure if there's shame in there or not. 

Talking to Steve isn’t hard. He’s pretty direct and doesn’t beat around the bush. There are certain topics that he deviates from or even reflects. Since the attack on the Williams family, Rachel and Stan’s deaths, and the attempts on Charlie’s life...the Williams’ family has been a hard topic Five-Oh’s had to read Steve carefully on before bringing them up. 

They all knew that it wouldn’t be honoring Danny or Grace if they simply stopped talking about them. The moments to mention them just had to be treated with care and a lot of thought. Especially around Steve.

His actions following the attacks have left some of them concerned. They were happy that Steve took on the challenges of fatherhood with everything he had, but he was still Steve. And they never believed for a moment that he’d let Danny and Grace’s case go cold. 

Seems they were right. “Because this looks like a page out of that playbook. Whatever reasons you couldn’t go after them back then, be it your mental state or Eric’s or being there for little Charlie...maybe you’re trying to do so now. Via ways that might not be directly connected back to you. With the help from someone who cared a lot about Danny too...who happens to be a master spy and wouldn’t leave a trail behind his searches...who Five-Oh can trust.” 

Steve looked back up, a small smile on his face. “There’s a reason why you’re part of this team, Lou.”

“ _A_ reason? McGarrett there are _reasons_ , plural, of why I’m on this team. My damning good looks, my keen eye for details, and my way with suspects that get us the info we need are just a few.” Lou bantered a bit. Then he got serious. “If this is serious. As serious as a baby’s life being at risk. I get it. I hate it, but I get it. Just know that we’re here for you. All of us.” 

Steve knew that was true, and he was so damn grateful. It was just a lot more complicated than they could ever imagine. Even though the suspects he was going after were human, their ties to the supernatural left out elements that could make it hard for some of them to understand. Even as he talked with Harry, the arms dealers and guns for hires were leading to certain dead ends because he wasn’t going after the Hunter angle! 

But Steve couldn’t share with him that truth of those who took Danny from them. It wasn’t his secret to tell. More than that...it would open a very dangerous can of worms that even a year later, he was still battling to completely grapple with. Yet...he couldn’t stop trying. 

“It’s quiet right now. It would make most happy. But it’s just got me on edge, Lou. It all feels unfinished. I can’t let my guard down if Danny’s baby is in danger.” He admitted with honesty before he closed his eyes and then corrected himself. As Eric told him, Danny and Rachel were gone now. Even if they were where Charlie came from, right now he wasn’t theirs anymore. He was Steve’s. “If _my_ son’s in danger. I can’t let it go. I’m just...trying to catch the threat before it reaches us. If there _is_ a threat.”

“Like I said. Whatever you need, whenever you need it. We’re all here for you.” 

“Thanks, man.”

“Also,” Lou stood from his chair, “You, Mary, and Eric are invited to dinner.” 

“Not Junior? What he’d do? Take your last malasada?” Steve asked with a small smirk. The tension was still there, both of them understanding that there _was_ still a threat hanging in the air and they knew little to nothing about it. 

“Nah. He’s been a lot busier lately. Sometimes with Tani, sometimes not. You know anything about that?” Lou asked honestly. 

Steve could only guess Junior’s been diving into his own supernatural research or switching up his training to better handle supernatural threats. So all he could do was shrug, “I don’t. Not really. But I’ll keep an eye out, promise.” 

* * *

“Heeeeeey buddy! Good to see you, ah you miss me?” Steve smiled as he picked Charlie up. 

More often than not, when Steve was home Charlie could be found in his arms. Some warned him about coddling him too much, but Steve didn’t think such a thing was possible. If it was in one of the many baby books he, Junior, and Eric have read, he tends to ignore that chapter. Though it was still at times difficult to consider Charlie his rather than Danny’s son, Steve’s need to have Charlie close and within sight was strong. Knowing Charlie’s life was in danger by a threat they didn’t know too much about had Steve on edge for months. 

Failing to keep Danny and Grace safe, he needed to reassure himself that he wouldn’t fail Charlie the same way. And how could he fail at keeping him safe if the baby was in his arms?

He can’t say he’s always wanted to be a father. After all the problems he had with his dad growing up, he wasn’t sure he knew how to be a decent one. But as time passed and he realized he wasn’t that GI Joe Super SEAL he was in his twenties, he did begin to think about life after serving. With Five-Oh ideas began to form, especially with what he saw Danny have with Grace. Not to mention that as things began to clear up with Shelbourne, he could understand his father’s actions a bit more. Fear still existed that one day if he did have kids, secrets and his past would force him into a similar situation, which is why he didn’t jump in and stop using condoms whenever he found himself with someone of the fairer sex. 

Then he and Danny happened. 

Grace had felt like his own kid long before they became official. They never worked up to her calling him anything beyond ‘Uncle Steve’ though. He tries not to think too much about that. If he does he falls into a depressive state where he thinks about all of the things he dared to dream about. 

Things like Grace eventually calling him ‘dad’, gaining the courage to ask Danny to marry him, planning their wedding and actually being married...having the family he didn’t know he needed, but then knew he wanted. 

But now he had Charlie, and he was doing his best. Some days he thinks he’s failing Danny. Other days, Charlie smiles at him like he’s everything and it’s a certain type of love that makes him stronger than he’s ever been. Especially after losing Danny and Grace. 

“Da!” 

That snaps him out of his thoughts. “ _What_?” He gasps out. “What did you say, Charlie?”

“Da! Da-da!” 

“D-da? Did you...did you just call me…? Mary!” Steve cried out as he hugged Charlie to him in happiness. 

Mary raced in with a slight panic look in her eyes, “What? What’s going on? What happened?”

“He called me da-da!” 

“ _What_?” Mary exclaimed as she covered her mouth with her hand. Her expression changing from panicked to thrilled, “Oh my god!” 

“Where’s Junior? Is he here? He needs to hear it in case I can’t get it recorded and the team doesn’t believe me. Dang it, where’s my phone?” Steve rambled as he rocked Charlie happily, giving him kisses every other moment or so. 

“Oh he took Eric on a fishing trip,” Mary answered. 

That made Steve pause. He gave Mary a questioning look. “Junior took Eric on a _fishing_ trip?” 

“It was an odd choice to me too.” Mary agreed. “Eric came by and played with Charlie while you were gone. He was a little...odd.”

“Odd? How odd? Bad odd? Should I try to track them down?” Steve asked trying to find his damn phone so he could ask Junior or have Adam or anyone to start trying to locate their phones. 

“Hey, whoa. Slow your roll there, big bro. Nothing alarmingly bad. Just...odd. I asked Junior to follow Eric and make sure he’s okay. Junior called me after and told me he got a hold of Eric. He’s fine, he just can’t handle people telling him he has their condolences...or hearing things meant to be comforting but just sound crude and crass. He wanted away from people.” Mary explained.

“Oh. Okay. That...that makes sense. Did he mention where he was taking Eric though? I’d feel better knowing.” Steve said. 

“No. Neither of them seems like top fishermen type, so they’ll probably Google a good fishing spot or something that’s popular for tourists.” When Steve couldn’t find his phone from his place, she rolled her eyes and reached out to take Charlie from him. 

Once Mary had Charlie, Steve went to look at some of his usual places and found it charging in the kitchen. He grabbed his phone and called Junior. “Voicemail.” He noted with a frown. “Hey Joons, it’s me. Look, I’m glad you’re there for Eric and I get wanting to avoid people. Let me know where you’re going just as a security measure yeah? I would love to join you. A fishing outing sounds really fun. Maybe we can plan something as a team or something. Charlie’s first boat ride. Anyway. Uh, call me when you get this.” 

“You got ‘worried dad face’ all over you. They’ve got each other and they’re grown men. One of them is a SEAL and the other is of William’s blood. It’s one heck of a combo.” Mary said as she tried to stop Steve from worrying so much about Eric. As impossible as it might be some days. Sometimes Steve liked to avoid dealing with his own depression and grief by helping Eric through his. Which was admirable, but it made Mary worry that Steve would use it as an excuse to ignore his own issues. She was also aware of how serious the threats had been to Charlie’s life and didn’t discredit them, and she knew from personal experience how becoming parent amps up the overprotectiveness up to eleven. Add that to the McGarrett sense of protectiveness...Mary knew that Steve would need guidance on how to dispense it to where it was enough, without it consuming him with anxiety and worry. 

“I know,” Steve said as he tried to look convincing since he wasn’t sure he sounded it. 

And Mary caught on to it, “What is it?” 

Steve shook his head, “Nothing. It’s nothing. _But_. You know what _is_ something? We’re having dinner at the Grover’s tonight.”

“That’s great. But Steve...what’s going on?” She asked again. 

“Nothing,” Steve told her. When it didn’t seem like she was going to drop it, he sighed. “Yet.” He took a breath before he explained some of his earlier day. “You know that British friend I have?”

“The James Bond dude? Yeah.” 

“I sent him the picture of the tattoo I got off of the guy who attacked the house.” 

“The hunter?” When Steve nodded, her eyes widened, “ _And_?” 

“So far nothing. Not with Kawika. Not with Cath or with Harry.” 

“You asked _Catherine_ for help? I didn’t even know you guys were still talking. Didn’t she break your heart?” 

He gave her an unimpressed look. “She...yes. She didn’t choose me when I thought I was ready to choose her. That’s...that’s a can of worms I’m trying to ignore. But she has connections. She met Danny, she cared about him too. She’s willing to look into it. But getting hold of her isn’t easy. But if she found something she would have found a way to get me that information. That at the very least I’m sure of.” 

Catherine wasn’t his favorite topic, and thankfully Mary didn’t push that subject. “So your James Bond friend. He any better at finding whoever that assassin was?”

“Harry’s made connections and allies and collected favors from all walks of life. If anyone could get information discreetly so I don’t have to worry about it coming back to us so easily, it’ll be through him.” 

“That still leaves us with almost nothing. And still no clue as to Stan being a werewolf or not?” Mary followed up. 

“Kawika said he’d look into it but he doubted it. Stan wasn’t from the island and from what I understand all werewolves know of each other at least.” 

“Like Danny. He wasn’t part of their pack, had his own with his kids. But still met with the local Hawaiian pack to keep the peace.” 

“Exactly.” Steve nodded as he sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair.

“So that still leaves the question of from who or how the hunters knew Charlie is a wolf,” Mary said. 

“I hate waiting but that’s all we can do right now.” 

“No, it’s not. Steve...I don’t want to get all Dr. Phil on you but you could...live. Nothing too radical. But waiting for an attack that may or may not come isn’t healthy.”

“I’m not _just_ waiting around. I go to work. I take care of Charlie.” 

She smiled at him and then at the boy in her arms, “Yeah. You do.” Then she looked up at her brother again, ”But I’m still worried that you’re….” She tried to find the right word.

“Stuck?” He offered. “I’m not. I...I’m _paused_.”

“Paused?” Mary echoed.

“Yes. Paused. It’s only been a year, Mar. The past is still too fresh. And the future is...not for me. Not yet. I can’t...I’m not free of him. He fills my mind. My soul. And he and Grace share my heart with Charlie...finding out who did this isn’t an excuse to not move forward. Danny was killed, Mar. He was a fighter. And his _family_ was attacked and killed. He’s not at peace. He won’t be. Not until I find out who did it and bring them all to justice.” Steve expressed passionately the difference between what they thought and what was in his mind. 

“And we can’t tell the rest of the team? It would make things easier.” 

Steve shook his head. “As much as it would, no. We can’t. I hate keeping things from them. But this isn’t something easily explained or believed. And if it’s anyone’s call it’s Eric’s. And he’s not here, so...let’s just get the kids ready for a dinner, yeah?” 

* * *

_“Hey Joons, it’s me. Look, I’m glad you’re there for Eric and I get wanting to avoid people. Let me know where you’re going just as a security measure yeah? I would love to join you. A fishing outing sounds really fun. Maybe we can plan something as a team or something. Charlie’s first boat ride. Anyway. Uh, call me when you get this.”_

“What are you going to tell him? If you don’t tell him something, he’ll worry and freak out. He’s already worried about me in general. And about me being kinda flaky.” Eric told Junior with a slight frown. 

“Are you a good fisherman?” Junior asked.

Eric gave him a raised eyebrow before making a face and shaking his head, “Can’t say I am. I have been fishing here and there but to be honest I made more trash can shots with my beer cans than I pulled fish from whatever we were pulling them out of.”

“Okay good.” Junior said as he pulled up Steve’s number and pressed ‘call’. He waited for a moment before someone answered, “Commander? Hey, yeah it’s me. He’s right here. We just barely got a signal. We’re good. A bit of an impromptu trip...uh, fishing isn’t really Eric’s forte. But nature’s doing Eric some good. We’re bonding. So we’re gonna take a few days and we’ll be back soon, sir. Yes of course. Say hello to Joan and Charlie for us. Bye.” 

“He okay?” Eric asked and the concern was genuine. The McGarrett's have become a very close family to him in the past year. They _were_ his family now. They took care of him, so he was concerned for them in turn. Especially Steve. He was very aware of how close the Commander and his uncle were. Even before they got together, and even after, though they kept it low key. If there was anyone who he knew understood the pain of losing his uncle and cousin, it was Steve. He was doing a lot better in his journey, and Eric would hate to be a hindrance to the progress he’s made. 

“Yes.” Junior nodded as they walked towards the baggage claim. “He was worried. Wanted to know our location. But so long as we don’t take too long, we can hopefully be back with good news.”

“Or at least be back alive. Hopefully.” Eric deadpanned. 

Junior placed a hand on his shoulder, “We’ll be fine.”

Eric scoffed, “Will we?” 

“Eric…”

Eric gave off a humorless laugh, “Junior. We’ll either be walking into a trap or we’ll be seeing Uncle Danny so horribly maimed and Grace so traumatized that they haven’t been capable of getting in touch with their family for a _year_!”

Junior sighed but he patted Eric on the back in comradery. “Whatever we face, we face together. And there’s no turning back now.” 

* * *

Eric let Junior handle getting them a rental car. Now that they were in Canada and the colder air hit his face, he was reminded of Jersey winters. He wants to be as focused as possible, but he keeps flashing back to holidays when he was younger. 

Going with his grandpa and uncle to pick out a tree for everyone who wanted one and delivering them to each home. Helping his mom decorate with ornaments that they’ve had since before he was born. A majority of them being things he made each year at school. 

All of the family members meeting at his grandparent’s place on the twenty-fourth, having snowball fights with his cousins after all of them help shovel the driveway and sidewalks, and then gathering inside for hot chocolate. Gathering around and squishing in to watch _How the Grinch Stole Christmas_ and _Home Alone_. 

But this air was different. This wasn’t the city, not like how New Jersey was. It wasn’t home and he wasn’t sure what he was heading into. This was like an echo of what he used to have. It makes him nostalgic and then sad because even if this isn’t a trap and his cousin and uncle are actually alive, all that he just remembered was still just a thing of the past. It was never coming back. 

“Eric?”

“Hm? I’m okay.” He replied automatically. It’s practically been his mantra in the past twelve months. 

“Right. Well, come on. The car’s here. We shouldn’t waste time.” Junior didn’t look too convinced by Eric’s statement. For what they were about to do, he’ll have to put his concerns aside and focus on the task at hand. 

There was a chance that Detective Williams and Grace were alive. There was _also_ a chance this was just an elaborate trap to kill the remaining members of the Williams pack. Eric’s helped him understand the supernatural as best as possible. The young forensics scientist has given him and the McGarrett’s a lot of information to not be blind to what awaited them in the future of taking care of Charlie. There was a limit to how much Eric knew. As a human, he wasn’t told a lot of the supernatural family secrets. After making peace with not being a wolf, Eric didn’t have much interest in knowing anything beyond the basics. Added that there were different cultural differences between Hawaii and Jersey. 

Junior’s done his best to prepare himself to be a better help to protect Charlie, but without guidance and how-tos...Junior’s relying a lot on his Navy training. 

Before he could dare to hope of finding part of their Ohana alive, he had to concentrate on getting answers and keeping Eric alive. If this wasn’t a retrieval, then maybe it could help Eric in his progress in his grief. Whoever they were going to meet...they were involved in the fire somehow. 

As they began to drive away from the parking lot where they picked up their rental, Junior asked the next relevant question. 

“So, who is this we’re going to be meeting? You called them an Emissary?” 

Eric nodded at the term but crossed his arms as he looked out at the passing scenery, “I don’t actually know who the Emissary is. So it doesn’t help us in knowing if this person is a friend or foe.”

“Was it like...a wolf only thing?” Junior asked. If Grace and Detective Williams were alive, then she’d have to know this person to trust them, right? Well, no. If Grace saw the horrors of losing her family in a fire, and only she and her father survived, and someone saved them...so long as they helped take care of Detective Williams, she’d trust them. Especially if Hunters were a threat. 

“No, it was an Alpha thing. I knew there _was_ an Emissary, we all did. But only the Alpha really knew about them. There’s a lot of lore into it, from what I remember they weren’t human either. Well, depends on if you count Druids to be human I guess. They acted as advisers, as an Alpha’s confidante, and a connection to humanity.” Eric explained. “I wish there was more I could tell you. Tests or facts or something that’ll help us know if this is really an Emissary at all, or if they’re the one of my pack. But since I wasn’t a wolf or the eldest in a way that mattered...I wasn’t really told stuff like this.”

“Hey, it’s okay. Whatever they do or say, so long as they show us proof of Grace or Detective Williams...that’s all we need.” Junior told Eric gently. He looked at the GPS on the car’s computer and knew that both he and Eric were feeling the tension as they got closer to the meeting spot. 

Eric nodded and remained quiet for a while. He was tempted to fiddle with the radio but he didn’t want to be completely useless when they arrived. “So what’s the plan? I mean...you have one, right?” 

“Since this was short notice, I don’t have a gun on me. We’re going into this as a possible negotiation...maybe even an interrogation. Chances seem we won’t be dealing with werewolves, so that’s a plus in our favor. Humans….humans are what I can deal with. So just...stay behind me and let me do the talking.”

“That’s it?” Eric asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“It’s not the _best_ plan, but…”

“It’s the best we got.” Eric had to admit to that. If not for Junior coming with him, what would he have done differently? Probably gotten an Uber and made a Canadian driver very concerned about leaving an American in a possibly sketchy location. He now at least had a higher survival rate. Still...he wished Junior would have been equipped with a long-distance weapon. “Isn’t there some sort of outdoor hunting shop we can stop at and get something for you to look...intimidating?”

“You don’t think I look intimidating as is?” 

“I mean, sure, you could. But like...even a fallen branch to use as a Rafiki staff couldn’t hurt right?” It wasn’t that he didn’t think Junior couldn’t handle himself. He knew that Junior had top-notch military training that was very helpful as a Five-Oh member. But that was human stuff. 

Not only had they left American soil, but they weren’t in Canada for human business!

Even though Junior wanted to be very confident about his abilities, he knew that they were somewhat out of their depth here. Or he was even if they were both human. Eric had been born to this. Even though he himself was born in a very mythological rich culture...that’s all they were to Junior. Myths. Stories that helped them understand his ancestors and how they saw things and grew. 

Eric was born into a family of werewolves. Even if he didn’t know too much what the abilities or detailed job of an Emissary was, to him Druids were a fact as much as werewolves were. 

With his goal of keeping Eric alive, Junior pulled over and typed in shops where he could get something to make them feel...better prepared. 

They stopped at a hunting type store. As much as it would have been preferred to get some sort of gun, Junior didn’t want to bring too much attention to him so they settled on some hunting and camping knives. Not exactly the long-distance weapons Eric would have wanted, but that alongside other basic camping stuff like flashlights, jerky, batteries, and small ‘last-minute’ things. 

When chatting with the cashier, Eric was reminded how bad of a liar Junior could be in casual conversations. So Eric did the talking for them and told the cashier when asked about their trip, they were taking a break and meeting up with some buddies for a pre-bachelor party camping trip, but they were missing some of the little stuff. 

Once they had the stuff and some sort of weapon, they were back in the car continuing their journey. Eric was quick to ask, “You do know that in some cases honesty isn’t the best policy, right?” 

“I didn’t think-”

“It could seem like they’re nice, but for all we know they could be a family-owned human business by day, but a hunting family by night!”

Despite hearing Grace’s voice on that call, Eric didn’t let himself believe it was one hundred percent her. Junior didn’t think Eric could believe so strongly that Hunters were really everywhere and that thorough. And yet, he had to remind himself that no matter how many detectives and specialists looked into the Williams’ Arson case...no one was under arrest for it. Whoever had caused it was that much of a pro that it’s been a year and the trail for an arson was cold. 

“Sorry…” Eric grumbled as he looked away from the outside scenery to Junior. “Being so close to an answer. Whatever it is, has me...on edge.”

“It’s okay,” Junior told him, not bothered by his outburst since Eric had a valid point. 

“No, it’s not. I’m just...I guess I’m still pissed about…”

“Not being at the reunion?” Junior guessed. He may not know as much as the Commander what Eric’s therapy has been like, other than knowing he had to complete some hours before being allowed to return to work. There were points about the case that affected them all differently, but one he knew from Mary that the Commander was struggling with was not having been there. Eric being a Williams and supposed to be there, probably felt it even more strongly. 

“That. Yeah...but also not being helpful enough to you guys sucks.” 

“You’re plenty helpful!” Junior insisted. 

“ _Barely_!” Eric exclaimed. “Just because I didn’t get any powers doesn’t mean it wasn’t part of my heritage or family. I should have learned more. I should have been able to help more with the hunters, to be able to help Charlie as he grows up, but I can’t! After I accepted I wasn’t a wolf too, I pretty much went along my life as if everyone else in it was also human...and now when I should be helpful, I’m not! I know you’ve all done your best to find out the truth from the myth on your own and I just…-”

Junior let the quiet fill the space for a moment before he asked, “Wanna know how I see it?” When Eric merely gave him a nod, Junior said, “Your grandfather and uncle and everyone else in charge were amazing at what they did. That meant that you were able to feel safe and happy. This tragedy was horrible...but it wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t theirs, but it wasn’t yours either. We may be struggling some but we’re okay. We’re Ohana and no matter what...we’re in this together.”

Eric took a deep breath and gave a single nod. Looking at the GPS estimated time...they’ll be arriving soon. 

* * *

The place was a semi-secluded place. Nothing that screamed _‘End of the World’_ preppers, but more of a small mostly sustainable farm with an access road to town. Junior didn’t place too much attention to all that the place had but focused more towards the entrance as he led the way with Eric flanking his left side. 

As they neared the stairs the door cracked open. Junior stopped and held his arm out to keep Eric behind him. 

The tension was thick as they waited for whoever was opening the door to reveal themselves. 

Eric felt like he was going to be sick to his stomach any second. Despite telling himself not to, his hopes were incredibly high. His eyes stung with tears he had to blink away as he prayed to see someone he’s missed and loved. 

For once, after a very long year, his prayers were answered and his hopes weren’t crushed. 

Grace...his very much alive cousin, stepped through and was looking at Eric with the same disbelief and awe as Eric probably looked at her with. Time stood still for a very long second before Eric pushed passed Junior and ran towards his cousin. He pulled her into a bone-crushing embrace once she was within reach, and they crumbled onto the ground and wept. 

Once he thought he could mutter out words, he pulled away and cupped her face. His smile was full of sadness yet gratefulness to seeing her actually be alive. “You got no idea how much this moment means, cuz…” 

Grace tried to wipe away her tears but they kept coming. Eric wiped them away for her before hugging her again. 

When they pulled away again, Eric looked up when he felt someone standing next to him. He saw Junior but rather than join in the hug, he had a knife at the ready in his hand and looking at the door. 

Looking over, Eric saw someone, an older woman, he didn’t recognize. But then he remembered and looked at Grace again and asked, “What about Uncle D?” 

“Shall we continue this inside? I’ve made cocoa.” 

Eric stood and held on to Gracie’s hand protectively, and gave Junior a glance. 

“Will that cocoa come with answers?” Junior asked. 

“Since you’ve come a very long way, it only seems fair.” 

Eric, Junior, Grace entered the house one by one, but it was Eric who she stopped. Looking at her, Eric has vague memories of someone similar being part of his grandparent’s lives. She was an elderly woman he would see from time to time that his gran would call their Tea Lady friend. She was about his grandparent’s age, looked wise but very tired...and sad, as she looked at him. 

“You’ve grown up.” She reached up and patted his cheek gently, “Far faster than you should…” 

“Where’s my uncle?” Eric asked. Seeing Grace left him feeling pretty emotionally exhausted. There were still a lot more emotional hurdles in front of him, especially since both the Tea Lady and Grace had similar reactions to his question. “He _is_ alive, right?” 

“He is. Before you see him...we should have that talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I am just....so damn sorry it's been so long :/ 2020 has been...hell of a year. I am hoping to finish up any on going stories I have to help me not lose my mind, and have some bright notes. But it's 2020 so...I'm trying. And failing...but trying again. And I'll keep that going. I hope you guys are safe and okay, and I hope you liked the chapter :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! 
> 
> Things in my personal life have been a bit...well, a lot, hectic. Between some personal medical stuff and the holidays...I haven't had as much time as I wanted to write. 
> 
> So for the sake of my sanity, this story will be split into parts. This will act as a bit of a stepping stone. The set up of how our favorites are going to get reunited while still learning new things along the way. It might be 3-4 chapters long. I thank you for your time and patience. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and happy holidays and festive season! If you can leave some kudos and/or a comment, I'd appreciate it <3


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